2025 US Open - Day 2

It’s early morning in Las Vegas and we’re waiting for weigh-ins to begin at Day 2 of the US Open.  Today we have an athlete competing in the Senior Women's division (Alisha Howk) and one in the Girl’s High School Showcase.  Esperanza Calvillo wrestled seven times yesterday and will try for 5^th place this afternoon.

 

This quite the event! 

 

You can probably imagine being that it’s in Las Vegas.  The competition venue is in “Downtown Las Vegas.”  Some people call it Old Vegas; it’s about 2 miles from the world famous “Strip.”  Neon lights are everywhere, and nighttime feels like daytime because the streets are so bright.

 

Our crew is staying at The Strat Hotel.  That’s the one with giant space needle.  It’s actually the highest point in Las Vegas.  It’s a short drive from the venue and at the Northern tip of The Strip.

 

Our U15 athletes will weigh-in this afternoon and will be ready to compete tomorrow morning.  There are 32 mats in the convention center.  4 of them are on the raised stage and surrounded by bleachers.  It sounds chaotic, but it’s very efficient.  The mats are sort of sectioned off and age groups wrestle in one chunk throughout the day.  With over 4,500 participants from youth to veterans, including the top senior level athletes, this one of USA Wrestling’s top events.

 

As a club, we’ve been discussing ideas on how to make this tournament a staple in the lives of our young athletes.  It’s difficult to organize because it’s during school.  For our high school athletes, we’ve always emphasized Fargo in the Summer, and will continue to do so, however, this tournament is fresh on our radar and something we need to prioritize moving forward as part of the preparation for Fargo (and future high school success).

 

Spending time at an event like gets the wheels spinning.  Seeing the top wrestlers in the country hone in on their craft is inspiring.  It also forces you to look in the mirror and consider your own level of commitment, goals and process.  We hope this week re-energizes our wrestlers and is a catalyst for dreaming bigger dreams and striving for even more.